If you're having trouble completing your backup, the first step is to assess whether the app thinks it was complete. There's a clear distinction between seeing the "Backup Incomplete" screen, and having files not included but still seeing "Backup Complete".
BACKUP INCOMPLETE
There are a number of reasons you may land on the "Backup Incomplete" screen. The first thing to note if you see this screen is that it will tell you exactly "why it stopped," which informs our next steps:
Below, we'll cover the reasons a backup may stop, what each means, and what to do next:
- The "Stop Backup" button was pressed. This is the only reason in this list that should be expected. If you ever decide to stop the backup mid-process, this is the screen you'll see. When you're ready to resume later, reconnect your drive, open the app, and tap Resume Backup — it will continue from where you last left off automatically.
- There was a small error during backup. Sometimes a particular file doesn't transfer properly (especially if it is being backed up from iCloud), or the error was caused by another app you may have running in the background. Try to Resume Backup and see if you receive the same error again.
- The level of battery charge is below 25%. Recharge your iPhone or iPad, and then tap Resume Backup to proceed.
- There isn't enough space on my iPhone or iPad. Picture Keeper needs a small amount of free space on the phone to work properly (usually about 1-2 GB). Try deleting unused or unwanted information off your iPhone or iPad to free up space (ex. old text messages, old voicemails, downloaded podcasts, old/unused apps, etc.) — we also have a guide for further help freeing up iPhone storage.
- There is not enough space on the Picture Keeper. Try checking the storage space on your Picture Keeper. If your Picture Keeper is full, you can simply purchase another one to pick up seamlessly where the first left off.
- The Picture Keeper was disconnected. This can happen if you move your iPhone or iPad while a backup is in progress. If it disconnects repeatedly without moving the device, the drive may require further troubleshooting — take a look at our Connection Issues guide for assistance.
- The app was moved off the screen during backup. Your iPhone or iPad pauses apps that aren't on screen, which can interrupt a file that is still copying — large videos, and photos that are still downloading from iCloud, are affected most. Keep the Picture Keeper app open and on screen while a backup runs: avoid switching to another app, and let the screen stay awake rather than locking the device. Then tap Resume Backup to pick up where it stopped.
- Some files couldn't be backed up because of your network connection. Photos and videos that live in iCloud rather than on the device have to be downloaded before they can be copied to your Picture Keeper, so a backup can stall if the connection drops. Check that you're on a stable Wi-Fi or cellular connection, then tap Resume Backup.
- Something went wrong while copying a file. This usually means a file reached the drive but could not be written to it. Restart your iPhone or iPad and try the backup once more — if it happens again, please contact our Support Team, as repeated write errors normally point to the drive itself rather than anything on your iPhone or iPad.
- The drive is formatted as NTFS. NTFS is a Windows disk format that iPhones and iPads can only read, never write to — the drive will still appear and you can browse the files already on it, but nothing new can be saved. This almost always follows the drive being reformatted on a Windows PC. Please contact our Support Team and we'll walk you through reformatting the drive so it works again.
BACKUP COMPLETE — MISSING FILES
Seeing the "Backup Complete" screen means the app successfully saved everything it was looking for. If you're still missing files after this, the question becomes — is this a setting, do we need a workaround, or is the file type genuinely incompatible?
- First, it's important to note that not all file types are accessible to us within the Picture Keeper app. This comes down to privacy restrictions on your iPhone or iPad, as opposed to limitations within our app. On most phones and tablets, this means photos, videos, and contacts are what we can include in a backup.
- With that in mind, let's check your Backup Options. If you're missing entire types of media (i.e. your photos backed up, but not your videos), this is the most likely culprit. Fixing this is often as simple as enabling the setting, and then tapping Resume Backup.
- If your options are all set how you intend them to be, the final piece to note is where Picture Keeper looks for your content. Third party apps (Google Photos, Amazon Photos, etc.) are not directly accessible from within the Picture Keeper app. These apps require backing up in different ways, and we have guides available to help with this.
If none of the above fits your situation, or if your backup still won't complete or files are still missing, please contact us for additional assistance.